1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of insulated shipping containers, and more particularly to a process for producing a collapsible foam cooler.
2. Description of Related Art
Perishable products are commonly shipped to the consumer in insulated shipping containers to prevent spoilage in transit. Molded foam containers used in combination with an exterior corrugated shipping box are convenient to use and effective to protect perishables. However, molded containers require a substantial capital investment for molds, and each mold produces only one size of container. Also, empty molded containers consume a large amount of space for storage or shipping, thus resulting in high warehousing and shipping costs.
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,102,004; 5,111,957; 5,429,264; 6,080,096; 6,325,281; 6,868,982; 7,140,773 and U.S. Publn. 20030087051, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse shipping containers for perishables.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical collapsible shipping container.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved collapsible foam shipping container for perishables, and the provision of such a device is a stated object of the present invention.